[ebonho]

Sriku just let the service engineer know these issues. There is not abnormal sounding excepting the rear brake (check pads).

Rest everything has been discussed here more than once.

I plan to shift to synthetic only at 10,000 km.

No the lever distanc (stretch) is not adjustable.

But the handle and gear lever positions are. Try and experiment till you are happy.

[Shubz]

Originally Posted by Parthasarathig

Yes doc im on it. Not riding the bike at all till the svc tells they have a solution ready.

that solution better not be - lets prick the bubble and fill it up with a rubber solution

Originally Posted by Parthasarathig

In fact when Shubz pointed out that it was indeed a bubble i was scared too.

Will keep everyone updated on this.

And i really miss riding my bike :(

And my rc book aka smart card hasn't even arrived. Its almost three weeks. Any idea when it arrives ?

Smart card takes about 45 days to arrive.

Originally Posted by Parthasarathig

Also what all points do i need to go through during first service ?

I wish the rear shock was a notch or two stiffer. Also i feel a bit of vibration coming from the rear brake. Like when i step on the rear brake pedal, there's a krrrrr sort of vibration on my foot. Although its braking without a hitch, but would still like to get rid of the vibration. It came in after the first chain cleaning btw.

Further there have many an issue of false neutrals betwen 1 & 2 gear and also between 5th & 6th gear. Is this normal ?

Also in heavy traffic, bike heats up a fair bit although the temp indicator doesn't show more than 8 bars most of the time but hot air keeps barbequing my legs into kalmi kababs. Will this ease up after first service ?
Doc have you tried out any new horns? The duke horn just fades when ridden in traffic. Im not able to find a particular horn sound that would suit the Duke. It more than makes up for this shortcoming with its ability to smoke the boy racers

Please also suggest should I go in for synthetic oil right now with winters approaching or after 5000kms service ? Also how is this engine coolant called Engine ICE ?

Also im having a lot of pain at my left carpometacarpal joint i.e the joint of the left thumb and also on my medial surface of the dorsum of my left foot close to the ankle joint. This happens after riding the bike for sometime. Does anyone else have such issues ? Are there any remedies for this ? Can the distance betwen the clutch lever and the handle bar be reduced in anyway so as to prevent excessive stretching of the thumb?

Last but not the least one question to Shubz :- will I be able to "disappear" after first service?

Oh what a joy biking is.

Ride safe. ATGATT.

The question to Shubz - I don't have to answer that - There are all the Duke brethren out here who will vouch for the "disappearing" ;-)

For all your other queries on service checks, The KTM Duke 200 owners page on FB has the document which lists it all (I guess)

The joint pain - you will forget about it once you get used to it. It is usual when you ride with the gloves on and gloves are yet to bed into your hand shape.

"medial surface of the dorsum of my left foot" -- Not everybody is from the medical line so it would be nice if you could say it in layman's language and help poor souls like me from frantically googling, lol!!
On a serious note - the ankle pain could be because of the ankle boots that you wear that could be restricting free movement of the ankle joint with the gear lever being comparatively smaller than the boot base.

[Parthasarathig]

Originally Posted by ebonho

Sriku just let the service engineer know these issues. There is not abnormal sounding excepting the rear brake (check pads).

I plan to shift to synthetic only at 10,000 km.

No the lever distanc (stretch) is not adjustable.

But the handle and gear lever positions are. Try and experiment till you are happy.

Will be spending ample time at the SVC tomorrow and get all that adjusted.

Perhaps will shift to full synthetic tomorrow

Is there anyway to shift the horn button to the right and starter to the left? For reasons of ergonomics. When Im holding the clutch i find it difficult to press the horn or turn the indicators on/off.

Overall Im really glad I got the Duke. Every ride just makes me happy with my choice.

Originally Posted by Shubz

that solution better not be - lets prick the bubble and fill it up with a rubber solution

Hahaha. Thankfully its gonna be a new tyre

Smart card takes about 45 days to arrive.

Waiting and watching till then.

The joint pain - you will forget about it once you get used to it. It is usual when you ride with the gloves on and gloves are yet to bed into your hand shape.

I guess the gloves need to stretch a bit more. Surprisingly those full gauntlet gloves are comfortable even in city riding. And I'd go with nothing less than full gauntlet. BTW Im using that 3m AIO Shiner for leather maintenance. Its meant for leather seats so I guess it should work in this case too.

Yet to try out my cramster balaclava.

"medial surface of the dorsum of my left foot" -- Not everybody is from the medical line so it would be nice if you could say it in layman's language and help poor souls like me from frantically googling, lol!!

Sir I wasn't getting the right words to describe it properly so chose that. It meant just near the ankle joint towards its medial side i.e facing the opposite foot's ankle.

On a serious note - the ankle pain could be because of the ankle boots that you wear that could be restricting free movement of the ankle joint with the gear lever being comparatively smaller than the boot base.

That could be. The funny part is none of these pains are present in the right side of the body.

Ride safe !!

[wolfy]

Folks,
Back on the issue of the ECU flashing etc..
My duke had her ECU flashed about a 1000kms ago (they did not inform me that they are doing it, not a good move methinks. They shouldv'e atleast informed the owner). I thoght she had gotten smoother and wasn't really unhappy. The stalling issue isn't really resolved coz I still face it, but then again it could be a clogged fuel filter acting up. I recently rode my friend's duke which wasn't neutered. I WANT my old map back. So much more wilder, so much more fun! Has anyone reverted back to the old map?

[Parthasarathig]

Got my first service over with. Replaced engine oil with 300v and the bike feels great to ride. pulls cleanly from 1st gear. The service guys forgot to reset my shift indicator, shift light comes on at 5000rpm.
And now the bike touches 100 without crouching.

Autoservice people did a great job and its always nice to chat with Venkat sir. Very approachable and friendly person.

[sriku]

Originally Posted by Parthasarathig

Got my first service over with. Replaced engine oil with 300v and the bike feels great to ride. pulls cleanly from 1st gear. The service guys forgot to reset my shift indicator, shift light comes on at 5000rpm.
And now the bike touches 100 without crouching.

Autoservice people did a great job and its always nice to chat with Venkat sir. Very approachable and friendly person.

Good to hear!
The bike is still going to bake your calves, get used to it!
The rear suspension in my case is set at the max position. Try a higher setting.
The false neutrals are puzzling, I haven't faced them yet, maybe I'm shifting much harder than most guys. I never nudge the pedal, I'm slotting it into the next gear and dumping the clutch most of the time, keeping the revs pretty high.
You can adjust the play in the clutch lever, but I like it better when it is taut, so the bike feels much crisper. On the facebook group, some guys are using adjustable levers, which should help you out too. Call up the guys at Performance Racing and check if they have any adjustable levers in stock for the Duke.

The speed itself is secondary in my opinion. The Duke must rev cleanly (without stutters) from idle to 9k rpm in gears 2 and higher. Shifting at the right time (about 9-9.5k rpm) in each gear guarantees the speed is achieved very quickly, and without fuss. The loud exhaust just adds a heavy metal soundtrack to the proceedings. It took me a couple of long-ish rides to button down the shifting and the bike is now cleanly revving through to the red line in each gear, without any issues. I had a mind to sell my Duke as the Ninja 650 has arrived, but cannot bring myself to do it! In the city, the Duke is simply the best transport I can use.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by sriku

Shifting at the right time (about 9-9.5k rpm) in each gear guarantees the speed is achieved very quickly, and without fuss.

Interesting!

I've tried to discuss this much earlier on this thread, have even tried getting some dope from the KTM guys, but no luck.

Where have all of you set your RPM1 and RPM2.

What about others elsewhere?

Is there a tried and tested golden mean?

Most of us shift by feel. But what makes for the quickest acceleration shifting at peak torque (8000 rpm) or shifting at peak power (10000 rpm)?

Mine is currently at

RPM1 @ 7500

RPM2 @ 8500

[Abhi_Automobile]

What say about 390 buddy?

I am super excited about the engine but very disappointed that it looks the same as 200. So, kind of overwhelmed and underwhelmed at the same time.....

[contact.nitin7]

Originally Posted by ebonho

9,000 kms in the Baleno (office and weekends)

5,000 kms in the Zen (kids school bus and city duty)

Any more?

Exercycle?

Well We are not playing about kilometer's otherwise my bike / car does a lot, more than what a Courier guy does in a day! For sure!

KTM - 16k, Gladiator - 12k, and Alto - 3k, Aria - 9k!
Heck, I am too much :P

Originally Posted by Abhi_Automobile

What say about 390 buddy?

I am super excited about the engine but very disappointed that it looks the same as 200. So, kind of overwhelmed and underwhelmed at the same time.....

Abhi - Esp for you Man -

http://blog.ktm.com/bikes/something-...ng-in-austria/

I will term it as P*rn_Audio!!


----------------------

Anyways, Short Crisp Ownership things.

- Nick knack issue continues - Rear Foot Step - pillion bent by wight and now hits the Chain gaurd, My pillion was around a 100 Kgs, My Dad .

- Tyres Getting bald from the Center.

- Chain Set due for Replacement on Next Service, 2nd paid.

- Rear Mud Guard, Fell off After rusting.

- No More cold start issues,

- No problem with the tyre, I am a little violent on accelerator, So, I need to control that.

- Right Foot step bent as the parking guy gave bike a fall, glass of the rear indicator broken.

- RETRO Fit - Custom BI-Xenon Projector.



- Horn Blew off, for some reason, any-which-ways, I never knew it, till my service guy said- "Sir, its been two services, your have not got your horn fixed yet."

[airfoil]

Anyone have ideas about methods to keep the side stand assembly tight? I'm needing to tighten the bolts every week or so.

I'm toying with the idea of removing the bolts, coating them with Shellac and fitting them back - any thoughts on this please?

[unk9ja]

Originally Posted by airfoil

Anyone have ideas about methods to keep the side stand assembly tight? I'm needing to tighten the bolts every week or so.

I'm toying with the idea of removing the bolts, coating them with Shellac and fitting them back - any thoughts on this please?

Use nuts with nylon lock ring, the height of which is slightly bigger than the normal nut, but takes effort to loosen. This is available in all hardware shops and is very effective.
Alternately use Loctite/ Anabond type of thread sealants with low grade sealing. Anything higher, like medium and high will make the thread fail during loosening and also takes a lot of effort.

[n_aditya]

Originally Posted by contact.nitin7

RETRO Fit - Custom BI-Xenon Projector.

Looks damn neat with the projector setup. Nice shot of the KTM

[Sheel]

While flipping OD of this month (@ news stand) was surprised to see Shumi's 200's engine getting seized.

I couldn't really read the entire article & didn't feel like buying the mag. Have anyone of you read it?

From his tone, he sounded disappointed but was very happy for the other usual traits (2 stroke ones) and like 2 strokes, it seized.

Doc, please excuse this post if you think it is OT

[Parthasarathig]

So sriku i followed your advice today and kept revving almost till 9k rpm before shifting. My god it was a scary experience. Now I can happily say my bike performs just like the test ride bike in showroom.

After 5000rpm it feels as if something has seized the bike and keeps pulling. That 'jhatka' was mindblowing. But im trying not to have too much of it especially since Im still learning from my mistakes.

Also noticed today, that the brake light wasn't getting activated with the front brake lever. After initial panic, i figured something could be lose. Indeed, I noticed a naked connector just next to the lever and its counterpart hanging close to it. Connected the two and it worked again

Little niggles keep cropping up here and there but the exhaust note drowns everything into the background

Ride safe !! Cheers.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by Sheel

While flipping OD of this month (@ news stand) was surprised to see Shumi's 200's engine getting seized.

I couldn't really read the entire article & didn't feel like buying the mag. Have anyone of you read it?

From his tone, he sounded disappointed but was very happy for the other usual traits (2 stroke ones) and like 2 strokes, it seized.

Doc, please excuse this post if you think it is OT

Yup, I'm sure these seizures had a lot to do with getting the new re-map for the early KTMs.

Has anyone been following the progress of the 200s being sold abroad. Any seizures being reported there?